An Aristotelian View of Knowledge for Knowledge Management

Abstract

Defining and understanding knowledge is a rather broad and open-ended pursuit. We can narrow it considerably by stating that we are interested in defining and understanding knowledge as it pertains to knowledge management, rather than tackling the entire realm of epistemology. This article takes the theory of knowledge espoused by Aristotle and views it through the lens of knowledge management. The writings of Aristotle have proven to be fertile ground for uncovering the foundations of knowledge management. Snowden (2006) points to Aristotle’s three types of rhetorical proof as a basis for incorporating narrative in knowledge management. Buchholz (2006) traces the roots of ontological philosophy, forming the basis of current KM ontology efforts, back to Aristotle’s work. Butler in his Anti-foundational perspective on KM (2006), following Dunne (1993) argues that Aristotle’s Phrónésis and Téchné need to be at the core of knowledge management efforts – and while they cannot be directly applied to IT applications, must be among the elements upon which knowledge management is based. Müller-Merbach (2005) provides a look at the fundamentals of applying Aristotle to knowledge management theory.